UPDATE Aug. 28, 2019: Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the state of Florida Wednesday afternoon after the Captain of the Port set Port Condition Whiskey at the Ports of Fort Pierce, Miami, Everglades and Palm Beach, meaning hurricane-force winds are expected within 72 hours. Dorian, upgraded to a hurricane by the National Hurricane Center at 2 p.m. EST Wednesday, is headed to the northwest of Puerto Rico and will bring heavy winds and rain that could continue until Thursday morning according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall projections for the island have come down slightly, but flash flood warnings are in effect on Puerto Rico's southern coast.

Dive Brief:

• President Donald Trump signed an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico Tuesday in anticipation of Tropical Storm Dorian, which is set to make landfall on the island Wednesday afternoon.
• The Coast Guard Captain of the Port San Juan set Port Condition Zulu Wednesday for all maritime ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. This means gale force winds are predicted within 12 hours and the ports are closed to inbound and outbound commercial vessel traffic until the storm clears the area. Delta warned the storm may affect flights at the Punta Cana, Santiago and Santo Domingo airports in the Dominican Republic along with Port-au-Prince Haiti, and St. Lucia.
• The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center predicts winds up to 60 mph and roughly four to six, but possibly up to 10, inches of rain for Puerto Rico and surrounding islands. Florida may receive a similar or even greater volume of rainfall later in the week and through the weekend if the storm follows its forecasted path.

Dive Insight:

DHL's director of operations for supply chain services in Puerto Rico Ewar Rivera told Supply Chain Dive in June that 90% of goods coming into Puerto Rico arrive by ship, so ahead of storms, stockpiling is key. Dorian is unlikely to reach the record strength of 2017's Hurricane Maria, but the threat is heightened for an Island with weakened infrastructure, still working to recover.

Maria had a devastating effect on the island, taking out the power in some areas for months, and Puerto Rico's vital pharmaceutical manufacturing sector was still disrupted months after the storm, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

CBS News reported authorities in Puerto Rico have chosen not to cut the power ahead of the storm, confident the grid will hold up.

This is a developing story.